1. Well in advance of preparing recipe, place 5-10 litres of water in a fridge and chill
2. Place Oats, Lactose, and Vanilla into a grain back in large pot. Cover with 5 Litres of boiling water. Cover and leave for 30 minutes.
3. At the same time, in a separate smaller pot, make an “oak tea” by covering the oak with boiling water and steeping for 30 minutes.
4. After the oats have finished steeping, remove the grain bag and squeeze out any excess liquid. This will be thick and porridge-like. You will need to squeeze the bag firmly, multiple times. Remove the grain bag and tip the remaining liquid into the fermenter.
5. Strain the “oak tea” through a muslin cloth and tip into the fermenter.
6. Add the fresh wort to the fermenter and top up with water (use some cold water if necessary from the fridge) to 19L at 20-25°C and stir vigorously for 5 minutes.
7. Add Safale S-04, seal fermenter and store in cool conditions

Beer

Tips for temperature control:
-Use the chilled water to reach a satisfactory temperature and add yeast immediately.
-Maintain a cool even temperature in the fermenter.
-Place the fermenter in a tray and wrap it in a blanket with an end in a container of water.
-Placing the fermenter on a concrete slab can also help to keep the temperature constant.
–Use a Brewing Thermostat and a fridge for optimum brewing conditions all year round.

Mead

Spirits

-To make oak spirit use a 4-5 Litre wide neck glass jar, use around 200-300g of oak blocks or chips and 1 litre of vodka/neutral spirit. Soak for at least 14 days but the flavour intensifies the longer you leave the oak soaking. When ready, strain the oak out by passing it through filter wool in a funnel.